| Yeomanry Mounted Division | |
|---|---|
| Active | June 1917 – April 1918 |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  British Army |
| Type | Yeomanry |
| Size | Division |
| Engagements | First World War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Major-GeneralG. de S. Barrow |
TheYeomanry Mounted Division was aTerritorial Forcecavalry division formed atKhan Yunis inPalestine in June 1917 from threeyeomanry mounted brigades. It served in theSinai and Palestine Campaign of theFirst World War, mostly as part of theDesert Mounted Corps. In April 1918 six of the regiments were withdrawn from the division and sent toFrance, being converted from Yeomanry to battalions of theMachine Gun Corps. These were replaced byIndian Army cavalry regiments withdrawn from France, and the division was renamed1st Mounted Division, the third such division to bear that title. In July the combined division was renamed as the4th Cavalry Division.
In June 1917, it was decided to reorganize the mounted troops of theDesert Column into three divisions.[1] Previously, the two existing divisions (ANZAC Mounted Division andImperial Mounted Division) each contained four mounted brigades; hereafter, the three divisions would have three mounted brigades each. As a result, between 20 June and 22 July 1917, theYeomanry Mounted Division was formed atKhan Yunis,Palestine.[2]
| 6th Mounted Brigade 1/1st Royal Buckinghamshire Hussars | 8th Mounted Brigade 1/1st County of London Yeomanry | 22nd Mounted Brigade 1/1st Staffordshire Yeomanry |
| XX Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery (T.F.) Hampshire RHA | Divisional Troops 6th Field Squadron,RE | Yeomanry Mounted Division Train 999th CompanyASC |
The Yeomanry Mounted Division served as part of theEgyptian Expeditionary Force inPalestine throughout its brief existence. From 31 October it took part in theThird Battle of Gaza, including theBattle of Beersheba (in GHQ Reserve) and the Capture of the Sheria Position under theDesert Mounted Corps (DMC). Still with the DMC, it took part in theBattle of Mughar Ridge on 13 and 14 November and theBattle of Nebi Samwil for 17 to 24 November. From 23 November it was attached toXXI Corps. From 27 to 29 November, it withstood the Turkish counter-attacks during theCapture of Jerusalem. From 28 November it was attached toXX Corps.[2]
In March 1918, the1st Indian Cavalry Division was broken up in France. The British units (notably6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons,17th Lancers,1/1st Queen's Own Yorkshire Dragoons andA,Q andU BatteriesRHA) remained in France and the Indian elements were sent to Egypt.[8]
By anEgyptian Expeditionary Force GHQ Order of 12 April 1918, the mounted troops of the EEF were reorganised when the Indian Army units arrived intheatre. On 24 April 1918, the Yeomanry Mounted Division wasindianized[c] and its title was changed to1st Mounted Division,[2] the third distinct division to bear this title.[d]
On 24 April 1918, the 6th Mounted Brigade was merged with elements of the5th (Mhow) Cavalry Brigade, the 8th Mounted Brigade with the8th (Lucknow) Cavalry Brigade, and the 22nd Mounted Brigade with the2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade. Six of the Yeomanry Regiments were merged in pairs, converted to Machine Gun Battalions, and posted to theWestern Front:[4]
They were replaced by Indian Cavalry Regiments from France. The Field Ambulances and Mobile Veterinary Sections merged with their Indian counterparts. Other units were retained unchanged, though some were renumbered to reflect the new divisional designation.[7]
On 22 July 1918, the 1st Mounted Division was renumbered as the4th Cavalry Division and the brigades as the10th,11th and12th Cavalry Brigades.[9] The sub units (Signal Troops, Combined Cavalry Field Ambulances and Mobile Veterinary Sections) were renumbered on the same date.[4]
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